Tag: kazoku

The Meiji Constitution

November 21, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 Comments Off on The Meiji Constitution

As pressure mounted from grass roots organizations like the Freedom Party, the Meiji government decided to finally draft a constitution. The process which brought it about, and the language which it employed, would determine the course of Japan’s political future.

Clans, Corporations, and Capital

November 18, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 Comments Off on Clans, Corporations, and Capital

The early years of the Meiji period saw an explosion of economic growth as Edo Period merchant houses transformed into conglomerates called Zaibatsu.

The Meiji Revolution

October 31, 2024 justin-david-hebert Meiji, Season 13 Comments Off on The Meiji Revolution
Season 13, Episode 2: The Meiji Revolution
A photograph of Emperor Meiji in traditional dress. 1872. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Emperor Meiji in a military uniform, 1872. Source: Public Domain
A photograph of Emperor Meiji (center, in white court dress) surrounded by various advisors and attendants at the official inauguration of the Yokosuka arsenal in 1872. Source: Public Domain
A map featuring Japan’s Prefectures, which were created in 1871 to replace the abolished feudal domains. Colors indicate regions: gray is Kyushu, light purple is Shikoku, orange is Chugoku, purple is Kansai, teal is Chubu, green is Kanto, yellow is Tohoku, red is Hokkaido. Source: Public Domain
A 50 Sen coin which was issued in 1870. 100 Sen was equivalent to 1 Yen. Source: As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A 5 Yen coin issued in 1870. Although today the Yen is relatively low in individual value (worth about one single US penny), its value was initially high enough to require two subdivision coins – the sen(1/100) and the rin (1/1,000). Source: As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons